WASHINGTON — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., excoriated Republicans during a marathon House floor speech Thursday in an attempt to delay the passage of the sweeping GOP bill for President Donald Trump’s agenda.
During his speech, which kicked off just before 5 a.m. and was ongoing more than six hours later, the Democratic leader slammed the GOP bill, often referencing a series of binders as he read notes from Americans who he said would be harmed by Medicaid and SNAP benefit cuts.
The Trump-backed “big, beautiful bill” appears poised to pass the House after several Republican holdouts flipped their votes overnight to support advancing the bill. Jeffries’ speech is part of the debate over the bill, and while it is unlikely he will be able to flip GOP votes, his speech can delay the voting timeline.
House leaders have unlimited speaking time on the floor, using a procedure called a “magic minute.” The longest House floor speech was 8 hours and 32 minutes by then-Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. Jeffries has shown no signs of slowing down, noting that he was taking his “sweet time on behalf of the American people.”
“What is contemplated in this one big, ugly bill is wrong. It’s dangerous, and it’s cruel, and cruelty should not be either the objective or the outcome of legislation that we consider here in the United States House of Representatives,” Jeffries said, arguing that it was “cruel” to cut Medicaid.
Democrats have repeatedly broken into applause throughout Jeffries’ speech. The minority leader zeroed in on the bill’s impact on Medicaid recipients, reading notes from people who rely on government health care programs or have family on Medicaid.
“Above all else, I’m just thankful for the spirit, the heart and soul of the American people who have risen up throughout this country to make it clear to all of us in this institution: Keep your hands off our Medicaid. Keep your hands off our health care,” Jeffries said.
The Senate version of the bill would lead to nearly 12 million people losing health insurance over the next 10 years because of Medicaid cuts, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. It would institute work requirements for able-bodied adults under 65 years old — a key Republican priority — and it would alter the way states fund Medicaid.
The bill also includes huge funding increases for immigration enforcement and the military and would cut Biden-era clean energy tax credits, among other provisions.
Jeffries framed the bill as Republicans “trying to take a chain saw” to social safety net programs.
“Republicans are trying to take a chain saw to Social Security, a chain saw to Medicare, a chain saw to Medicaid, a chain saw to the health care of the American people, a chain saw to nutritional assistance for hungry children, a chain saw to farm country and a chain saw to vulnerable Americans,” Jeffries said.
Jeffries’ speech comes months after Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., set the record for the longest Senate speech, at more than 25 hours.
